Images Digital Edition DEC 2018

www.images-magazine.com DECEMBER 2018 images 49 KB TIPS & TECHNIQUES Less colour/thinned ink This has to be one of my favourite tricks in my design bag. I love using curable reducer. While there are plenty of folks that are constantly talking about the need for opacity, let’s champion a completely opposite mindset: Translucency. This simply means we can see what’s underneath the ink. This can be another printed colour, a pattern on the shirt, or a texture of the shirt. To me, this can be far more interesting L ess can be more when it comes to colour sometimes. Think about the number of colours your shop offers for printing. Artists typically always want to use more, because hey…that’s what is going to make the design better. Right? While that certainly can be true, it also adds some complexity to the job that might not be needed. More colour can equal a higher price. Is the job out for bid? Instead of five colours, can you do it in three? More colour can also add to production time. For example, how many more jobs a day could your crew print if there were fewer screens to set up? You don’t have to sacrifice great design either. There are plenty of tricks you can do that will provide impact and punch to the design. Let’s take a look at a few. Marshall Atkinson explains how to reduce the number of print colours without sacrificing quality Less is more than an opaque ink colour. It looks more natural and authentic. It also prints with a softer hand, which is all the rage currently. Distressed graphics An always popular look is vintage and distressed. Nothing works better for this than reducing the ink and letting something underneath show through. For example, let’s say you are printing on a heather blue T-shirt with white ink. If you reduce that white ink down, it has an almost chalkboard-like feel to it on the heather blue shirt. Pair that with a hand-drawn design or font, and you have an instant classic. What’s great about curable reducer is the more you add to the ink, the more translucent the ink becomes. As the name suggests, it cures like it is a regular ink. A lot of shops call this ‘thinned There are plenty of tricks that will provide impact and punch to the design